|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) People who begin taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn generally continue to refill their prescriptions over time.
New research out of Denmark is shedding light on why. In a study conducted in 120 healthy people who were randomized to receive eight weeks of treatment with a PPI followed by four weeks of a placebo or 12 weeks of a placebo alone, they find those taking the PPI experienced a rebound effect after stopping treatment with the active drug.
Text Continues Below
Among that group, 44 percent reported at least one acid-related symptom during the four weeks of placebo treatment, versus just 15 percent in the group taking the placebo throughout the study.
We find it highly likely that the symptoms observed in this trial are caused by rebound acid hypersecretion and that this phenomenon is equally relevant in patients treated long term with PPIs, study author Christina Reimer, M.D., from Copenhagen University, was quoted as saying. If rebound acid hypersecretion induces acid-related symptoms, this might lead to PPI dependency.
That finding, she continues, may justify the speculation that PPI dependency could be one of the explanations for the rapidly and continuously increasing use of PPIs.
SOURCE: Gastroenterology, published online July 1, 2009
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
|
.gif)
